So Long Ago
by Torikoolz
Summary: This is the story of Caroline Harlington who was once in love with Ronald Weasley. They kept going, kept loving each other over and over until she suddenly left, done with him. But now she is back, and so is he. What will happen whenever they meet again?


It seemed like so long ago, that day back in the summer of 2011. Caroline sighed as she looked out the window, the window of the same room that it had happened in. The same room where she was so content with herself, but then it all came crashing to the floor like a child's plastic toy bricks. The memory stung, more than that, it felt like a million needles had been shoved into her heart. Caroline looked away from the window, cringing from her memories, from all the pain. Yet she still loved him. Why, after all he had done for her, why did she still so desperately want him to say hello, to come back to this very room with her.

Around her, the room seemed too big. Being alone in a large room wasn't something she particularly enjoyed. She watched outside of the large window that had a large windowsill under it. She traced the old fashioned glass with her fingers, watching as condensation began to build up from her touch and breath. Slowly, her fingers slid off of the window for there was too much moistness. Caroline just sighed, again turning her examination of the room from the window. As she did so she felt another presence.

At first, she thought it was her imagination; she did have a vivid one if she remembered correctly. "Caroline," she heard a faint voice behind her. The owner she knew well. Her eyes slowly widened and her hands found the windowsill as a support. Suddenly, her heart rate began to increase, slowly making a pounding noise in her head. She whipped her whole body around then found the windowsill again. She was going to speak, tell him to leave, something along those lines, but her idea failed as her mouth became dry as a piece of parchment.

In front of her he stood. His hair was a dark red, and he had just a small bit of stubble on his chin. He had small freckles that looked odd on his masculine face, but also suited him well. His eyes were a blue that reminded her of the sea. As she examined him, her breath became choppier than it already was. She hoped she didn't fail her cover up act now. Luckily, her body didn't defy her as her hands found her hips, making an almost sassy kind of stance there by the windowsill.

"Ronald," she replied sharply. She threw her dagger look at him: green eyes piercing into blue ones. There was no sense in being nice to him at this point in time. He hadn't spoken to her in months, a good reason to be upset.

For a moment, everything was silent, as he seemed to be looking over her as well. First, his eyes traced the line of her wavy blonde hair, all the way to where it cut off just in the middle of her chest. Then his eyes found hers, staring into them like they had changed. They were a cat-like green, and many found it shocking, but the way he looked at them was like a child getting a shiny bracelet as a Christmas gift. Slowly, his eyes found their way to her lips. She suddenly felt uncomfortable, for he kept them there a millisecond too long. They peeled away and again found her eyes, turning more serious.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a slightly more gruff tone than he had used before. He seemed to be trying to copy her body language. Trying to make her intimidated, he should have known that wouldn't work.

_Why am I here? Why are you here you-_ "I should be asking you the same thing," she stated, her eyes rolling unintentionally. She shoved off the thought of what she was going to say, replacing it with civilized words that would make anyone wonder what had gotten into her. She wasn't known as the "calm one". That was for sure.

Ron looked at her dimly, as if trying to see behind the barrier she had just put up. Yes, of course it was penetrable, but he didn't know what would make it falls. As long as he stayed at the distance he was, as long he stayed hostile like she was, everything would be fine, and she could get out of here unscathed. His jaw tensed as he answered her, showing that he wasn't done with his investigation, but was holding back emotional questioning. "I saw your car," he said, his face turning unreadable.

Of course she had a car. Caroline was an unusual wizard, so she could get unusual things. It was a normal car, small, good enough for maybe one or two people to ride in. She seemed like an expensive person though, because wizards and witches rarely got their hands on things like Muggle money. Caroline could afford to get it though, she could afford a lot of things others around her couldn't. So… if he had seen her car, which he said he did, did that mean he had stopped by to see her? No, she could not allow such petty and weak thoughts into her mind. "Well, at least you remember a little something about me, eh?" she asked rhetorically.

"You're one of the only people I know who has one," he stated, his face staying under the slightly stone-like mask. His gaze, though, stayed transfixed on her, as well as her gaze to him.

"Right," she snapped. She didn't mean for her words to bite so much, but she had hoped… Caroline stopped leaning against the wall like she had been, going over to where a small couch sat, its stuffing popping out of the broken seams of rough blue fabric. The stuffing was a yellowish white and reminded her of old paper that was left on a boat or some sort of historical artifact. As she went over to the couch, she only did one thing, which was look back to see a questioning look on Ron's face. She ignored it and grabbed her purse, which sat on the side closest to the door to exit. The room's air had become full of tension, and it was now becoming hard to breathe.

"I think I ought to be going now," Caroline said, drawing out a fake yawn, and then walked straight to the closed door. She should not have announced her departure, though, for Ron stepped over and blocked her pathway to the door's brass handle completely. She snapped back her hand, and glared up at him. His hand found her shoulder and she made an inaudible gasp. It was a caressing touch, something that sent a shiver down her once warm back. "Wait, Care.." he began. His breath smelled like peppermint candy. It was too close. The nickname he used, Care. The one her friends that she had lost contact with had all called her. He had used it with such ease; it shouldn't have been that easy, not after 4 months of abandonment. "Stay, just for a little," he finished. His voice was coaxing, but not enough, not yet.

Caroline's face grew hot. "I'm sure you have other people to attend to, like maybe your fiancée?" Her words not only seemed to have stung him, but also seemed to have stung her at the same time. Her pain suddenly turned to fury, a flame lighting up inside of her. Ron's grasp on her shoulder became harder; his eyes became fuller of melancholy.

"No, Caroline. We broke up," he said. As if that would change everything in the world. Make everything better.

That was it, then. That's why he truly stopped by. Yes, he did stop by for her, but not in the way that she wanted. He stopped by to use her as a rebound. Not because of love, not because of his sadness of abandoning her at her weakest point, but because he needed someone to get back on top. He would use her again, just like before. Just like always. Every. Single. Time. "Well, isn't that just 'terrible' news," she stated sarcastically. She knew that her anger was going to be easy to peel back and decipher, but at this point she didn't care anymore.

" I wouldn't make such dull accusations until you know the full story, Caroline." Ron snorted. He must have known this would entice her, make her want to stay and find out what he meant. She tried to strain against her curiosity, but it won out and she stayed frozen. " I broke up with her," he stated simply. Just the way he presented the information made her want to slap him.

"Oh, that just changes everything doesn't it Ron? No, it doesn't. Because now you regret what you did, now you, want to use me, as a rebound. I'm not an idiot. Stop treating me like one." With that small speech, Ron had been stunned into silence. His mouth had parted slightly, and she pulled herself from his grasp.

"I would never do that to you, Caroline," he said sharply, retaining his expressions. Yet, she somehow couldn't believe he would come up with that sort of outrageous lie.

"Oh, stop it!" she snapped. Her temper broke loose. "You want to know what? Ever single time, its been: 'oh, I love you" "oh, I am sorry for hurting you.' Well, now its, 'oh, I would never hurt you'. It's too late, Ron! It's too late for all of that, ever single time you have defiled me and used me to get them all back. I have just sat here on the sidelines, falling into the stupid hole you dig deeper and deeper each time. I finally got out of it, and I am not. Going. Back. In. I am not a rebound." All of her breath and fury had been put into that speech. All of her feelings about what he had done to her, except for the true thing she was still mad about. She couldn't blame him for it, though. So she wouldn't, she would just pile it into other issues.

As she looked beyond her rage stricken eyes, she saw a vein in Ron's head begin to pulse. He was obviously getting angry. She shouldn't have said anything. "If I have been using you all of this time then why do you keep coming back, why do I keep coming back?" He looked at her, his eyes narrowing.

She had the answer about herself, but she wouldn't answer that. She would just say why he did, or why she believed he did. "Because you keep screwing up, and I keep letting you back. But, guess what… its over now. Just go away, and let me leave, and then everything will be better for both of us."

"I don't keep coming back because I keep screwing up, Caroline. Well, I guess I do, because apparently, I keep screwing up about you," Ron said. He seemed sincere, but she didn't know exactly what he meant. She was about to ask, but just as the question was on her tongue, he asked her, "But why have you? If you knew I was somehow 'using' you."

Caroline was about to say it was none of his concern, but she decided to finish her emotions, she probably wouldn't be seeing him again. "Because I still loved you," Caroline spat at him like it was poison in her mouth to say the words. "Because I, STILL, love you." As she spoke the last part, she noted it was still true. His presence hadn't helped it at all. But now, her face was flushed.

Stunned into silence, his hand slid from its tight grip on her shoulder. He didn't seem like he wanted to answer her, so she walked backwards. Getting away from him, his grasp. He just watched her, like seeing her in a new light. "Why do you think it never worked out?" he mumbled.

Caroline began to look stately, looking down at him almost, but sadly, she was still shorter. "What do you mean?" Her heartbeat was now audible, at least to her ears.

"Whenever I should be thinking of them, I think of you. Whenever I kiss one of them, I think of you. Whenever I asked Lavender to marry me, I thought it would erase you out of my mind, but it just made it worse. I've done all of this because I don't understand you. I don't understand why you keep popping up, WHY WON'T YOU GO AWAY?" He suddenly yelled. Caroline jumped. Her lips began to quiver.

"I already told you why I won't," Caroline whispered. She had somehow managed to go all the way to the other side of the room. She wanted to go away, but being by the door would just mean he was close. It was easier to talk whenever he was far away.

"The answer is simple, Caroline. It's just been here the entire time. I love you, more than I thought. I tried to make you a friend, but it didn't work. I tried to stay away, it didn't work. So, it just means. I never stopped loving you." He seemed almost crazy. Like he was just now finding it out. Maybe it was better this way? But he just said he loved her. It made all of the craziness sound normal.

Caroline didn't know what to say, so she just remained quiet. She put her top lip over her bottom one, and started biting her bottom one. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't know where to go, or the fact that she suddenly wanted to break down and cry. Yet, he advanced towards her, just as she was sliding down the shiny wall of the room. At first, she recoiled from him as he also sat by her, but then she hit the corner of the room.

Everything turned into slow motion. His pale white hand moved to her face. It cupped a cheek in it, her skin turning hot from the heat that radiated between them. There didn't seem any need for words, as their eyes connected, but he spoke anyways. "I'm not good with words, you know," he began, as if beginning a long speech, but she just lifted one finger to his lips, making his words fade out.

"Then don't use words."


End file.
